- The Washington Times - Sunday, August 6, 2023

Former Vice President Mike Pence confirmed Sunday that he testified to the Jan. 6 grand jury after receiving a subpoena but he does not plan to do the same during Donald Trump’s trial for trying to overturn the 2020 election.

Mr. Pence said he chose to comply with the subpoena before the former president’s latest indictment after he was offered “clarification” about his constitutional protections for his role in certifying the election.

“I testified before the grand jury under a subpoena after we got clarification from the court about protections that I have under the Constitution as the president of the Senate,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “But I have no plans to testify.”

Efforts by Mr. Trump — who, like Mr. Pence, is running for president — to have his vice president overturn the election results was a substantial part of special counsel Jack Smith’s charges against Mr. Trump.

“Frankly, the day before January 6, if memory serves, they came back — his lawyers did — and said ’we want you to reject votes outright,’” Mr. Pence said. “They were asking me to overturn the election.”

• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.